If you read the verses listed in yesterday’s post, you may have noticed some commonalities between them.  Joy used with faith.  Joy referenced with the Spirit.  Joy as a way of life, not an emotion.

I fear that one of the greatest disservices we have done to the Christian faith is perpetuate an untruth that the life of a follower of Christ is a guaranteed happy life.  We are not assured of “happiness” when we accept Christ.  What we are assured is that we have a good God-given purpose.  Embracing that purpose is the key to living our best lives, satisfaction and the joy that ensues from having served our Creator in the way He would have us serve.

Calvin Miller wrote, “Joy is our response to the creation of God.” (Joy: Cultivating Spirit-given Character, Thomas Nelson Pub. 2008).  I get my greatest spiritual joy from contemplating the intricacies of God’s handiwork.  Have you ever thought about how amazing the human ear is?  It takes speakers of all shapes and sizes to accurately produce the sounds of music.  Yet, the tiny membrane in our ear vibrates in such a way that our brain can interpret all the sounds we hear.  Scientists have attempted to explain emotions through chemical reactions related to our sensory organs.  But even happiness is a creation of Almighty God.  We wouldn’t have the ability to feel excitement, infatuation or awe without them having been created by God and given to us in the makeup of our bodies.

During this week of fellowship and thanksgiving, I pray that you find yourself joyful that God has given you life, a good life with a good purpose.  And I pray that you find joy in the simplest of God’s creation.  Puppy breath, the need for hugs and love for family are given to us by the Lord so that we may find joy in His beautiful creation.